Sorting machine



April 7, 1942. H. E. VEIT SORTING MACHINE Filed May 1 1, 194L 6Sheets-Sheet l Filed May 14, 1940 6 Sheets-Sheet 2 HERMANE VE/Z.

April 7, 1942. v H, V 2,278,599

SORTING MACHINE Filed May 14, 1940 v 6- Sheets-Sheetfi & I Illlill lApril 7, 1942. H, VElT SORTING MACHINE e Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed May 14,1940 April 7, 1942. H. E. VEIT SORTING MACHINE Filed May 14, 1940 6Sheets-Sheet 5 HERM/WVE. V517,

April 7, 1942. H. E. VElT SOHTING' MACHINE Filed May 14, 1940 6Sheets-Sheet 6 3 W Q44 to? HERMANE; 1 5/7;

wo t/m1 Patented Apr. 7, 1942 I SORTING MACHINE Herman E. Velt,Parkville, Md... assignor to The Glenn L. Martin Company, Baltimore, Md.

Application May 14, 1940, Serial No. 335,041

13 Claims.

The invention relates to a machine for sorting fasteners, andparticularly to a machine especially designed for sorting rivets.

The primary object of the invention is to pr vide a machine which willsort rivets or other fasteners in accordance with their length.

In shop practice, rivets are sent to different machine operators, in theproper lengths. Some of these rivets are dropped, and othersare notused. In order to save them, it is usual to collect all the dropped andunused rivets together, regardless of their length, and to return themto stock.

In the past it has been customary when desired to resort these rivets.Sorting of the rivets by hand requires considerable time and expense.The object of the present invention therefore is to provide a machinewhich will accomplish the sorting of the rivets so thatconsiderablesaving of labor is efiected.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a machine especiallyadapted for sorting rivets having the same type of head, and which isprovided with means which may be used as desired to separate countersunkrivets from round head rivets or vice versa, and thereafter to separatethe rivets of one type in accordance with length. By rendering thisseparating means inoperative, the other type of rivet may then beseparated in accordance with their length.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a novel means forfeeding rivets into a slot from which they may be supplied in properposition to a separating mechanism. These means act to prevent therivets from being fed to the machine unless they are properlypositioned.

Another object of the invention is to provide a device of this typewhich operates entirely automatically, and requires no manual control.

Still a further object of the invention is to provide means which insurethe proper separation of the rivets, and which will prevent the rivetsfrom being wrongly sorted. Particularly, since the machine involves arotating rivet-carrying disc from which progressively shorter rivets areremoved, the machine includes means for preventing the discharge ofrivets from the disc by centrifugal force, except when they have reachedthe proper position for their discharge in accordance with their length.

Further objects and advantages will be seen from the followingdescription taken together with the accompanying drawings which form apart thereof.

In the drawings:

Fig. l is a side elevation partly in section of a machine embodying myinvention;

Fig. 2 is a top plan view thereof Fig. 3 is an end view from theright-hand side of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a cross-section substantially on the line 4-4 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 5 is an enlarged top plan view of the lefthand end of the machinein Fig. 1;

Fig. 6 is a cross-section on the line 6--6 of Fig. 5;

Fig. 7 is an end view from the left-hand end of Fig. 1;

Fig. 8 is a cross-section on the line 8-8 of Fig. 5;

Fig. 9 is a cross-section on the line 9-9 of Fig. 5;

Fig. 10 is a side elevation of the belt wheel and the member forremoving rivets therefrom;

Fig. 11 is a detail side elevation of a mechanism for removingcountersunk rivets;

Fig. 12 is a cross-section on the line iii-J2 of Fig. 11;

Fig. 13 is a detail view of a. mechanism for removing round head rivets;

Fig. 14. is a detail side elevation of one of the stations forseparating the rivets according to length, and

Fig. 15 is a top plan view thereof.

As stated above, the invention is intended to apply to the separation ofrivets according to their length, with the optional separation ofcountersunk from round head rivets or vice versa as a primary step.

The mechanism includes generally a hopper section A for feeding therivets along in a particular order, to a separating section B in whichthey are assorted according to their length.

The whole machine includes a frame indicated generally at 2. Carried bythe frame is a longitudinally extending guide bar 4. Opposite one sideof the guide bar 4 and spaced therefrom is an endless belt 6,substantially level with the top edge of the guide bar and providingbetween them a slot 8. The width of this slot is substantially equal toor slightly greater than the thickness of the stem of the rivets orother fasteners to be assorted. Belt 6 runs over two pulleys I 0 and i2mounted on shafts I4 and 86 respectively near opposite ends of frame 2.Shaft i 6 is driven through worm gear I8 by an electric motor 20 orother suitable source of power. By operating the motor 20 it is thenapparent that rivets having their stems in the slot 8 and their headsresting on the bar 4 and belt 6 will be moved along, this movementtaking place in the direction of the arrow (Figs. 1 and 2).

The rivets are arranged in the slot to be fed to the separatingmechanism B by the hopper mechanism A. This consists of a hopper havinginwardly inclined walls including a rear wall 22, side walls 24 and afront wall 28,. The side walls are spaced apart at the bottom to providea slot 28 immediately above the slot 8, but wide enough to permit thepassage of a rivet head.

In order to agitate the rivets contained in the hopper, and at the sametime to prevent the escape of rivets from the hopper unless they areproperly positioned, the front wall 26 is provided with an upwardextension 38, at the upper end of which is secured a spring blade 32.The bottom end of spring blades 32 carries secured thereto a separatingwall 34 which substantially fills the space between the side walls 24 ofthe hopper. The bottom edge 36 of separating wall 34 is so spaced abovebar 4 and belt 6 as to leave only substantially enough room for a rivethead to pass therebeneath (see Fig. 4), so that rivets may not escapefrom the hopper unless they are properly positioned in the slot 8.

The separating wall 34 under the action of the spring 32 would normallytake the broken line position shown in Fig. 1. In order to move thisseparating wall back and forth, it is provided with a lug 38 to which ispivoted a rod 48 passing through an aperture 42 in the rear wall 22 ofthe hopper. The free end of rod 40 is bent down as at 44, into the pathof pins 46 carried by the pulley III.

The operation of this portion of the device is this position, the pin 46slides under the end 44,

and spring 32 then pushes the wall 34 back to the broken line positionshown, in which the end 44 of rod 40 engages the next pin 46. Wall 34 isthus subjected to continuous reciprocation,

which agitates the rivets and causes them to take up the properpositions in the slot 8, after which they are fed by belt 6 to theseparating mechanism.

The principal element of the separating mechanism is a disc 48 having inits periphery a series of notches 50 substantially of the dimension ofthe rivet stem. This disc is secured on a vertical shaft 52 which isdriven by bevel gearing 54 from shaft I6, and thus moves in unison withthe belt. The disc 48 has its periphery slightly spaced from the belt 6at the point where this belt engages wheel I2. The slot 8 is continuedup to the point where belt 6 and disc 48 most closly approach each otherby a projection 56 having secured thereto a thin metal blade 58extending up practically to the vertical projection of the axis of shaftI6 (see Fig. This construction feeds the rivets up to the disc 48.

In order to prevent rivets from becoming entangled between the belt 6and the wheel I2, there is provided beneath the belt 6 and adjacent thewheel I2 (see Figs. 5 and 6) a member 62 extending from the frame 2beneath the belt, and having a portion 64 arranged closely beneath thebelt and inclined from the center of the belt towards the edge of theslot 8. Any rivet which might tend to tilt under the belt is thusstraightened out just before it reaches the wheel I2 and is thusprevented from being caught between the wheel and the belt.

It is now necessary to transfer the rivets from the belt to the notches50 in the disc 48. This is accomplished by the arrangement shownparticularly in Figs. 5, 8 and 10. Mounted on the frame of the machineis a block 66. Carried by this block is a plate 68 which has a tongue 18extending up close to the top of wheel I2, but mounted at a slightdistance from the top so that the upper surface of tongue I0 issubstantially level with the top of the belt 6 where it passes over theaxis of shaft I8. Rivets carried by the belt 6 may thus engage withtheir heads on the top surface of tongue III. Tongue III has a curvedcam surface I2 which extends across the vertical projection of the edgeof pulley I2, and is continued by a curved surface I4 substantiallyconcentric with the periphery of disc 48, and spaced therefrom by thethickness of the stem of a rivet.

Mounted on the edge I2 of the plate 68 by inwardly turned ends I5 and TIengaged in notches in the plate are spring members I6 and I8respectively. Spring member I6 has its one end 15 connected to theplate, and is then bent back upon itself to provide a U-shaped portionthe legs of which normally lie in engagement with the periphery of disc48 and the edge of plate 68 respectively. The second spring I8 has oneend I1 secured to the plate 88 and a portion 86 which at its outer endengages the periphery of disc 48, while its other end 88 is secured tothe block 66.

The whole arrangement may be covered by a plate 90 (not shown in Fig. 5)which tends to prevent rivets from jumping upwardly out of their spaces.

The operation of this portion of the device is as follows: As the rivetsreach the point opposite the disc 48, their heads ride on the peripheryof this disc. The other sides of the heads are engaged by the tongue I0,and are thus lifted from the belt 6 to rest on the plate 68. Succeedingrivets push the rivets on into the space I8, where their stems areengaged successively by the springs "I6 and I8. These springs tend topush the rivets towards the center of the disc 48, and as one of thenotches 50 comes opposite any rivet the rivet will be forced into thenotch and thus carried along by the disc 48. The rivets are thenarranged in succeeding notches of the disc 48 for separation.

Where the machine is to be used only for sorting rivets having one typeof head, the separation may proceed immediately. It is often desirable,however, to remove countersunk rivets from the round head rivets or viceversa before the machine separates the round head rivets according totheir length. The mechanism for accomplishing the first type ofseparation is shown particularly in Figs. 11 and 12.

Mounted on the frame 2 is an upright 92 which is slightly spaced fromthe periphery of the disc 48. At its upper end this upright carries awire or rod 94. The free end 96 of this rod rests on the upper surfaceof disc 48.

As shown in Fig. 12, the rod 84 is so curved that a round head rivet maypass by its lower end 86 without engaging it. On the other hand, acountersunk rivet, as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 12, will engage thewire 94 with its upper edge. It will thus be pushed outwardly by thecontinued rotation of disc 48, and will drop oil of the disc into thefirst container provided below the edge of the disc. Thus countersunkrivets are removed. a

Spring 94 is held on the upright 92 by a screw 98, which may be loosenedso that the spring may be moved out of position and renderedinoperative. When the machine is used for separating rivets regardlessof their head shape, or when it is used for operating on countersunkrivets, the spring 96 is not used. Instead, the device shown in Fig. 13may be utilized for eliminating round head rivets. Screw 98 holds onupright 92 a bent member 85 having at its lower end a wedge shapedmember 91 which rests on the surface of disc 48 with its edge pointedoutwardly and substantially aligned with the inner edges of notches 50.As is clear from the drawing, a countersunk rivet can pass over thiswedge, whereas the head of a round head rivet will be engaged thereby,so that the rivet will be pushed on the disc.

The rivets which have passed the spring 94 are now fed on to a series ofstations which successively eliminate rivets of different sizes,preferably removing the longest rivets first. The structure foraccomplishing this separation is shown particularly in Figs. 7, 14 and15.

Each of the separating mechanisms is provided opposite a container 96for catching the rivets removed. It consists of a spring metal memberhaving one and E00 secured to the frame 2 below the disc 43. The mainbody 502 of the member is gradually curved outwardly until it extendsbeyond the vertical projection of the periphery of disc :38 (see Fig.15). The upper edge m4 of the separating member is gradually curvedupwardly as seen in Fig. 14. This edge is generally horizontal close tothe frame 2, but begins to turn up sharply just after it clears thevertical periphery of the disc.

The effect of this construction is the following: As a rivet moves alongwith the disc 48, if its length is shorter than the distance between thedisc 4d and the horizontal portion of edge EM, it will pass over thishorizontal portion and will then move behind the body portion ill! ofthe separating member. It will thus be maintained in its position on thedisc. If on the other hand, the end is longer than the space between thedisc t8 and the horizontal portion of edge IN, the lower end of therivet will engage on the outside of the separating member and will betilted out on the outside of the body portion at: thereof which,extending upwardly, gradually forces the rivet out of the notch 50 andinto the corresponding container 95.

The upper end oi the separating member is curved inwardly again as atHi6. and rests against the periphery of the disc. The purpose of this isto exert a resilient action on any rivets which may have passed theseparating member, so as to push them again well into their notches andto prevent them from gradually sliding out under the action ofcentrifugal force. Thus the rivets are securely reset in the notches.

As is apparent from Fig. 7, the height of the horizontal portion of theupper edge I04 gradually increases from station to station around theperiphery of the disc, so that shorter and shorter rivets are engagedand separated. Thus the rivets may be separated according to theirlength into any desired number of containers.

It is evident from the above that all that is necessary to operate themachine is to start the motor and place the rivets to be separated intothe hopper A. The machine will then operate entirely automaticallly toseparate the rivets into the desired lengths.

While I have described herein one embodiment of my invention I wish itto be understood that I do not intend to limit myself thereby exceptwithin the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A machine for separating rivets or the like having round andcountersunk heads in accordance with their head type and lengthcomprising a disc having means to hold rivets in the periphery thereof,means adjacent the point where the rivets are fed to the disc to removefrom the disc rivets having one type of head while permitting rivetshaving the other type of head to pass by such point, and a plurality ofmeans spaced further along the periphery of the disc for successivelyremoving therefrom rivets of progressively varying length.

2. A machine for separating rivets or the like having round andcountersunk heads in accordance with their head type and lengthcomprising a disc having a plurality of notches in the peripherythereof, means to feed rivets into the notches of said disc, means toturn said disc, means adjacent the point where the rivets are fed to thedisc to remove from the disc rivets having one type of head whilepermitting rivets having the other type of head to pass by such point,and a plurality of means spaced further along the periphery of the discfor successively removing therefrom rivets of progressively varyinglength.

3. A machine for sorting rivets or the like comprising a disc mounted toturn about a vertical axis, said disc having rivet-receiving notches, amember having an edge substantially tangential to the disc extending toa point closely adjacent the periphery of the disc, a belt, meansmounting said belt for movement parallel to said edge and slightlyspaced therefrom in substantially the same horizontal plane, a hopperhaving a slot in the bottom thereof overlying such space, means operatedby said belt-moving means to agitate rivets in said hopper so as to feedthe stems of the rivets into such space, means to move said belt towardsthe disc whereby to feed rivets to the edge of the disc, and means toremove from said disc rivets in accordance wit their length.

4. A machine for sorting rivets or the like comprising a disc mounted toturn about a vertical axis, said disc having rivet-receiving notches, amember having an edge substantially tangen tial to the disc extending toa point closely adjacent the periphery of the disc, a belt, meansmounting said belt for movement parallel to said edge and slightlyspaced therefrom in substantially the same horizontal plane, means tomove said belt towards the disc whereby to feed rivets to the edge ofthe disc, resilient means to transfer rivets from the belt to the disc,and means to remove from said disc rivets in accordance with theirlength.

5. In a device as claimed in claim 4, the means for transferring rivetsfrom the belt to the disc comprising a plate having a tongue closelyadjacent said belt where it passes by the periphery of the disc, saidplate having a curved edge for pushing rivets off of said belt towardsthe disc, and spring means cooperating with said plate and disc forpushing said rivets into the notches in the disc.

6. In a device as claimed in claim 4, the means for transferring rivetsfrom the belt to the disc comprising a member having a. tongue closelyadjacent said belt where it passes by the periphery of the disc, saidmember having a curved edge substantiallyconcentric with said disc forpushing rivets off of said belt towards the disc, and spring means forpushing said rivets into the notches in the disc, said spring meansincluding a plate spring having a U-shaped portion of which one legrests against the periphery of the disc while the other leg restsagainst the said curved edge.

7. In a device as claimed in claim 4, the means for transferring rivetsfrom the belt to the disc comprising a plate having a tongue closelyadjacent said belt where it passes by the periphery of the disc, saidplate having a curved edge substantially concentric with said disc forpushing rivets off of said belt towards the disc, and spring means forpushing said rivets into the notches in the disc, said spring meanscomprising a plate spring having one end carried by said member andhaving a U-shaped portion of which one leg rests against the peripheryof the disc while the other leg rests against the said curved edge, anda second spring having a portion resting against the periphery of thedisc beyond said first spring.

8. A machine for separating rivets or the like comprising a disc havinga plurality of notches in the outer periphery thereof, and a separatingmeans adjacent the periphery of the disc, said separating meanscomprising a fixed member having a portion extending beneath the disc ata distance to pass shorter rivets thereover, and a portion extendingoutwardly beyond and lying substantially entirely outside the verticalprojection of the outer periphery of the disc to tilt outwardly longerrivets engaged and guided thereto by said first portion so as todischarge the same from the disc, said first portion having asubstantially horizontal upper edge and said second portion having anedge inclined upwardly towards the disc, whereby rivets not engaging thefirst portion pass by the member without engagement with the secondportion thereof.

9. A machine for separating rivets or the like comprising a disc havinga plurality of notches in the outer periphery thereof, means to turnsaid disc, means to feed rivets to said notches, and a plurality ofseparating means spaced around the periphery of the disc, each of saidseparating means comprising a fixed member having a portion extendingbeneath the disc at a distance to pass shorter rivets thereover, and aportion extending outwardly beyond the vertical projection of theperiphery of the disc to tilt outwardly longer rivets engaged and guidedthereto by said first portion so as to discharge the same from the disc,said first portion having a substantially horizontal upper edge and saidsecond portion having an edge inclined upwardly towards the disc, thesaid horizontal upper edges being progressively closer to the surface ofthe disc around the periphery thereof, whereby rivets not engaging thefirst portion of each member pass by such member without engagement withthe second portion thereof.

10. In a device as claimed in claim 9, means for transferring rivetsfrom the belt to the disc comprising a plate having a tongue closelyadjacent said belt where it passes by the periphery of the disc, saidplate having a curved edge substantially concentric with said disc forpushing rivets off of said belt towards the disc, and spring means forpushing said rivets into the notches in the disc.

11. In a device as claimed in claim 9, means for transferring rivetsfrom the belt to the disc comprising a plate having a tongue closelyadjacent said belt where it passes by the periphery of the disc, saidplate having a curved edge substantially concentric with said disc forpushing rivets off of said belt towards the disc, and spring means forpushing said rivets into the notches in the disc.

,12. A machine for sorting rivets or the like comprising a disc mountedto turn about an axis, said disc having rivet-receiving means, a memberhaving an edge substantially tangential to the disc extending to a pointclosely adjacent the periphery of the disc, a belt, means mounting saidbelt for movement parallel to said edge at a greater distance from thedisc axis than said edge and slightly spaced therefrom in substantiallythe same horizontal plane, said belt and member forming a slottherebetween, means to feed rivets into such slot, means to move saidbelt towards the disc whereby to feed rivets to the edge of the disc,means to force rivets from the slot to the rivet-receiving means in thedisc, and means to remove from said disc rivets in accordance with theirlength.

13. A machine for separating rivets or the like comprising a disc havinga plurality of notches in the periphery thereof, and a separating meansadjacent the periphery of the disc, said separating means comprising afixed member having a portion extending beneath the disc, and a portionextending outwardly beyond the vertical projection of the disc, saidfirst portion having a substantially horizontal upper edge and saidsecond portion having an edge inclined upwardly towards the disc, saidsecond portion having at its free end a third portion bent backwardlytowards the disc and engaging the periphery thereof to press rivets backinto the notches which have not been removed by said separating member.

HERMAN E. VEIT.

